Naming conventions in Japan (modern and Kamakura eras)

[milkcho]

I am in the planning stages of a novel where the main character is a Canadian female living in Japan and married to a Japanese local, who's father was an American soldier stationed in Japan. I was told that Japanese couples have to choose one of the spouses' last name for the two of them, meaning that it does not necessarily have to be the husband'

Comments

[marycatelli]

check out the tale of Urashima Tarō.

He was invited to the castle of the Dragon King as a reward, stayed three days, and found that three centuries had passed. He opened the box he had been given, and time caught up to him.

[milkcho]

Thanks a lot! I will definitely check that one out. Any ideas for time travel into the past?

[sashatwen]

First question: Which shogunate? We're talking about a possible point in time anywhere between 1192 and 1867.

In general though, yes, there are quite a few naming conventions. For instance, before the Edo shogunate many commoners did not even have last names unless they were awarded one by their daimyo. As for first names, you can usually - but not always - tell what strata of society a person comes from by their first name. (First names would also change during your lifetime. You might be called by different names when you were a newborn, a young child, a youth and a grown-up.)

May I suggest you borrow a name from an appropriate character from Japanese literature and theater or consult one of the thousands of historical drama TV series or films? I mean, really, there's a plethora out there. If you've got a few candidates, come back and check whether they work?

Edit: If by "outcast" you mean burakumin, there's never been any typical names to distinguish them from the rest of society.

[milkcho]

Oops! Sorry, that would be the late Kamakura period. Here I am mainly looking at adults from respected artisan families, though not members of the nobility. I'll look into modern works and keep an eye out for characters that fit my criteria. I admit I've been looking at translations of period texts mainly, and I usually find context too vague to feel comfortable lifting names from them.

Thanks!

[lelek]

For your modern one, is the man a Japanese citizen? If so, he'd almost definitely have his mother's family name because, to be a citizen of Japan, your name must have kanji. It is possible to Japanize a western name, which is what people do to their legal given names if they're naturalized, but it's most common for the whole family to use the Japanese spouse's name.

If he's not a Japanese citizen, it could go either way.

[milkcho]

Ah, I didn't know kanji names were necessary for Japanese citizens (although yes, that makes sense). And yes, he is born and raised in Japan, so that solves the problem. Thanks a lot!

[kikuko_kamimura]

As for your mythical creature question, maybe the Kirin? Its origins originate in China, but it's still very popular in Japan and is seen as very powerful in several ways. I've heard stories where they have the ability to choose leaders, grant wishes...it's pretty much seen as the king of the gods here, known to meddle at least a bit in human affairs for the common good. I'm sure it wouldn't be reaching to believe that a kirin, should it decide that it's for the best, could and would control time.

[milkcho]

Ooh, that's very interesting! I don't know much about kirin but that does sound like it could work. I will definitely look into them. Thanks for the suggestion!

[lilacsigil]

Obviously, there's not a lot of records for non-samurai classes, especially before the Edo Period. What I've been able to find pre-Edo and early Edo indicates that the [noun+o] form (e.g. Tokuo, Masao, Yukio) were used by common people as were verb names like Noboru and Shigeru. Names ending in -suke or -emon are later Edo names, and the number names (Ichirou, Rokuzaburo etc.) are mostly samurai, as are the common two kanji names like, say, Tomohisa or Yoshitaka. There's no particular names associated with outcaste groups, just living in certain areas.

For women, there's even fewer records, and I'm not sure when the O-[noun] names started.

[milkcho]

Wonderful! Thank you so much! This helps me out a lot. And from what I've read, the O-prefix for women apparently started in the 1500s. :)